The following description is provided to assist the understanding of the reader. None of the information provided or references cited is admitted to be prior art to the present technology.
Head lice are parasitic insects that infest a person's head and neck. Lice live off the scalp by drawing small amounts of blood. Each louse can lay about 7 to 10 eggs, also known as nits, every 7 to 10 days, thereby allowing the lice to multiply relatively rapidly. Prior to the nits hatching, there is a strong glue-like bond formed between the shaft of the hair and the nits, which makes it very difficult to separate the nits from the hair and remove the nits.
Various compositions, also known as pediculicides or pediculicidal compositions, methods of using pediculicides, and kits including pediculicides have been used to treat head lice infestations. Existing methods of treatment of the lice-infested hair include using gels, pesticidal liquids, shampoos, conditioners, or other compositions, together with certain means such as combs, for mechanically removing lice and nits killed with pediculicides. Laboratory and clinical studies have found that many of the pediculicides in the market are either not fully effective or are ineffective, even when they are used according to the instructions.
Some of these methods include long wait times before the composition can be washed away or removed from the hair. Some require multiple treatments over several days or weeks, or have difficulty in combing out lice and nits after application of the pediculicide, i.e., if the pediculicide is too viscous for a comb to pass through; or if the treatment causes the hair to become tangled; or if the treatment applied is too oily and difficult to remove by conventional shampooing. Some existing treatment methods may only be partially effective, such as by killing lice but having no impact on the nits (ovicidal activity) or the ability to remove the nits from the hair. Many of the prior non-pesticidal treatments have focused on suffocation or desiccation of the lice and are unable to remove the eggs satisfactorily. Thus, adult lice are removed from the hair with some eggs, but treatments must be repeated multiple times to continue to remove the adult lice until all the eggs have hatched.
Furthermore, many pediculicides include regulated chemicals that can be toxic and harmful under certain circumstances or in higher concentrations, particularly when used on school age children. Pediculicides often comprise insecticides such as organochlorines (lindane), organophosphates (malathion), carbamates (carbaryl), pyrethrins (pyrethrum), and pyrethroids (permethrin, phenothrin, bio-allethrin).
In addition, certain strains of lice are progressively becoming resistant to the active ingredients used in some existing pediculicides, thereby necessitating more pediculicides with different chemicals, leading to additional toxicity. Thus, some pediculicides may rapidly lose their efficacy because of the development of resistance, which may be due to overuse. In fact, resistance of head lice to insecticides such as lindane, malathion, phenothrin and permethrin has been reported. A further problem with such compositions is that some chemicals used in pediculicides cause additional scalp irritation. The need for multiple products and/or steps are also caused by the fact that the products are often not applied properly and/or all lice and nits are not completely removed.
Thus, there is a need for new treatments for lice infestations (Pediculosis), that can kill and remove both the adult lice and their eggs. Additionally, since consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the products they are using on themselves and their families, a simpler and safer composition that is still effective without a long ingredient list of toxic chemicals, resulting in a reduced treatment time, easier or simplified treatment procedure, i.e., by reducing the number of products needed or the steps performed, thus providing easy removal of both the lice and nits. In other words, there is a need for lice treatment methods, compositions, and kits that do not include many toxic or synthetic chemicals and that can remove and kill both adult lice and the eggs.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the claimed invention to develop a pediculicide without synthetic, toxic chemicals and preservatives and with capability to kill both lice and nits.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a pediculicide that only needs to be used a single time for effective treatment and removal of head lice.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification.